


Poster Girl

by Mysti_Fogg



Series: Madelaine Shepard [9]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Free Verse, Gen, My First Work in This Fandom, Paragon Commander Shepard, Spacer (Mass Effect), Synthesis Ending, War Hero (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 16:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12016497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysti_Fogg/pseuds/Mysti_Fogg
Summary: The many titles of Commander Shepard.





	Poster Girl

Captain Shepard's Daughter.

She yanks her hair into the tightest bun, gold strands gleaming in red.

Have to be three times as good as her mother, as her grandmother, if she wants to live up to the name. And she is: Shoulders back, chin up. 

She stands as a bright copper penny in a sea of dress blues.

#

The Hero of Elysium.

The Star of Terra shines at her breast, her hair hidden under a military cap. 

The crowd below her podium drowns in white lights. She answers questions carefully, by the book.

Behind her back, images of her, teeth sparkling, beckon recruits.

#

The First Human Spectre.

She stands before the council, suspended between the glass ceiling and floor. Her lips are firmly sealed on secrets no one believes.

Udina has his victory; her amber eyes will look down from every wall.

#

The Captain of the Normandy.

The Normandy is grounded. 

She throws the whole damn book over: She steals the ship and shreds the posters. 

She can almost dance.

#

Savior of the Citadel.

Sovereign fell. The ceiling fell. Shepard fell. 

In the end, she is the one who rises amidst the pool of light.

Her picture is back, compressed under glass: Shoulders back, chin up, a credit to the uniform.

Her eyes congeal as she returns to her designated place.

#

The Lazarus Project.

The walls are covered with frozen moments, declaring she wants YOU.

But when she sees the Citadel again, they don't -- shimmering ghosts are easier.

She vanishes beneath waves of Cerberus white, posture perfect.

#

The Memorial.

She should be a name, drifting on a piece of pressed metal. But that's not allowed. Duty calls.

So instead she gasps for air in a sea of stars.

#

The Only Friend I've Got Left In This Screwed-Up Galaxy.

There is no camera. There is no audience. There is no duty to perform.

He counts the freckles on her skin, and she breathes.

#

Terrorist of Aratoht.

It was off the books, but she bleeds ink. 

The papers stitch her up with words.

When the Reaper eye opens, drowning her in crimson light, it's a relief.

#

The Panacea of Tuchanka.

With platelets of glass, the geneophage ends. 

You can cut her out into Stars of Terra for the photographers.

#

One-Turian Woman.

137 regulations say they shouldn't be here. He doesn't give a damn.

She doesn't need a book to recall the protocol on reunions.

#

The Rescuer of Rannoch.

The quarians threaten to fall into the gentle waves.

But Shepard catches them all neatly, nary a hair out of place. 

Chin up, shoulders back, make it seem effortless for the audience.

#

Shepard and Vakarian.

Their lips meet in goodbye, heavens crossed.

#

The Savior of the Galaxy

She drags herself along the platform. Another book, another poster, another goddamn Star of Terra.Except for a few stolen moments, she has always been here.

A pillar of light consumes her future.

She closes her eyes and falls.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of a writing challenge for me to simply create mood and emotion with few words since I've gotten into the habit of using too many. If I've done it right, this is approximately what I felt at the end of the game.


End file.
